1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge holding device for use in an image printing apparatus and, more particularly, to an ink cartridge holding device having an ink cartridge detector for detecting an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage which carries a printer head for printing operation.
2. Related Art
A conventional image printing apparatus has an ink cartridge detecting device for detecting that an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage. The detecting device includes a switch positioned to face the ink cartridge on the carriage so that the switch is turned on or off by the ink cartridge. Thus existence/absence (attachment/detachment to/from the carriage) of the ink cartridge is detected in response to the on/off signal from the switch.
According to the conventional ink cartridge holding device, ink is likely to leak from the ink cartridge through an ink supply inlet to the outside when the ink cartridge is detached for replacement. The ink thus leaked may possibly cause erroneous switching (short-circuiting) between the fixed contact and the movable contact of the detection switch when it enters into the detection switch. Further, ink mist tends to remain around the carriage when the printing operation continues for a long period of time, thus causing the erroneous switching operation of the detection switch. Those ink will also cause erroneous operations of other electronic circuit parts mounted on the carriage together with the detection switch.